By Buziwe Nocuze
When three young men approached Nwabisa at 6am and asked why she was walking alone, she knew she was in trouble.
“I was shocked when one of them said, ‘what is inside your bag?’ I tried to act calm,” said the 40-year-old Nwabisa Mgoqi from Lower Crossroads in Cape Town.
“I only have a book,” she said, remembering her collection of isiXhosa poems.
They weren’t happy with the answer – they thought she was lying, trying to conceal something valuable.
They grabbed her bag – and after emptying its contents they were dismayed to find that she was telling the truth.
A copy of Usekhona Na Umdlanga? (Trans: ‘Is the Spear Still in Use?’) dropped out, a collection of poems by Philasande Phinzi.
“They asked why I didn’t have anything valuable on me and why I only had a book,” she said.
“I told them I love reading poems and I always read my book.”
She thought they were going to let her go, but she wasn’t going to get away that easily.
“They said I must read poems for them if I don’t have anything to give them,” she said.
“They handed me my book and told me to read.”
Nwabisa froze. She wasn’t sure whether they were trying to intimidate her, humiliate her or had an interest in poetry.
Fearing for her life, she started reading. She couldn’t stop reading because she was so scared.
“I read my isiXhosa poems so loud. They laughed while I was reading. I hated every moment,” she said.
She said a lady saw them and came running, saying she had almost been robbed. Unfortunately for her, she was walking straight into another trap.
“She didn’t know she was still in danger,” said Nwabisa.
The thugs took the second woman’s bag and found a phone and money, then they walked them to the bus stop.
“I was so angry. They said they walked with us so we don’t get robbed twice on the same day. “The other lady also didn’t cry. We were both afraid of being assaulted,” she said.
Philippi East Station Commander, Colonel Mzwabantu Jada, has urged communities to report incidents like these. They can contact the station on 021 370 1093 or 082 522 0782.
Pictured above: Philasande Phinzi’s Usekhona na Umdlanga?
Source: supplied
